Improvement in harvesting-machines



ff. L//

. Won/@21 Y x /79243/8 Paie?? di Jam. 7, A35?.

A L 1 mmm ULII v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. H. H. LUTHER, OF WARREN, RHODE'VISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTlNG-IVIACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 24,318, dated June 7, 1859.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, H. H. LUTHER, of War ren, in the county of Bristol and State ot' Rhode Island, have invented a new and Improved Harvester; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part ot' this specification, in which- Figure l is a side-view of a harvester constructed according to my invention, the ngerhar and sickle being bisected transversely. Fig. 2 is a front view ot' the working parts of the same. Fig. 3 is vertical section 'of the same, taken in the line w w, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of a portion of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to place the` finger-bar and sickle under the complete control of the driver, so that the sickle may with great facility be raised to pass over obstructions, be adjusted to cut the grass or grain at any desired height from the ground, and also be raised and adjusted over on the body of the machine when the latter is not in use or is being moved from place to place.

The invention consists in attaching the linger-bar to a swinging frame, which is secured to a rotating frame adjoining an adjustable driving wheel, both frames being providedwith suitable catches, and the whole arranged as hereinafter fully described, whereby the desired object is attained.

-To enable those skilled in the art .to fully understand and construct my invention, .1 will proceed to. describe it.

A represents a rectangular box, which forms -the body of the machine. This box is provided with thills B B, and an axle, C, is attached to its under side, said axle having a wheel, D, attached directly to it at one end, the op'positeend having a lever or bar, E, tted in it, to which the other wheel, F, is attached.

This lever or bar E is forked at its inner end, or has two arms, a a', attached, one ot' which, a, passes up within the body A, and the other, a', projects below the axle C, as plainly shown. in Fig. 3. The ends of the arms a a are connected by a segment rack-bar, z, into which a Fig. 3.

spring-catch, c, in the body A catches, and retains the wheel F in a vertical position or at different degrees of inclination. be understood by referring to Fig. 3.

0n the outer end ot' the lever or bar E a wheel or circular frame, G, is placed. This wheel or frame is smaller in diameter than the wheel F, which is the driving-wheel. The wheel or frame G is secured on the end ofthe lever or bar E by a nut, H, and at the periphery of said wheel or frame friction-rollers ZZ are placed, said rollers bearing against the outer side ot wheel F, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. A crossbar, e, ot' the wheel or frame G extends a triiie beyond the periphery of the wheel F, and the ends of a semicircular bar,f, are attached to the ends ot' this bar e, said barf extending around the upper part of the wheel F.

To the front part of the semicircular bar f a lever, I, is attached by a fulcrum-pin, g.

ATo the lower end of the lever I a plate, h, is attached, and a spring, h', bears against the outer edge ot' the lower part of the lever I, said spring'having a tendency to keep the plate h underneath either ot' a series ot' projections, t', attached to the side ofthe body A. To the bar e of the wheel or frame G two pendent bars, jj, are attached at right angles.V

These bars) j form a recess for the reception of a rectangular swinging frame, J, the upper end of which is fitted loosely on a shaft, K, which has its bearings Zr on the wheel or frame G.

To the back end ot the shaft K a lever, L, is attached, which lever may beretained in n. horizontal position by a spring-catch, M, which is secured to the bark of the body A, as shown in Fig. 1. l

To the front end of the shaft K two arms, Z Z, are attached. rlhese arms rZ Z are within the frame J and extend behind it, as shown in Within the frame J a shaf'aN, is placed transversely'. This shaft has two pendants,

m fm, attached to it, kand an arm, n, which passes through a slide-plate, 0, which is, se-y cured on the outer side of the frameJ by screws o, which pass through oblong slots, p in the plate, and while securing the plate to the frame J allow it to work or play thereon This will by means of the cranks s s and rods r r.

to a certain extent. 'Ihe arm n, in consequence of a spring, q, has a tendency to keep the plate O in recesses a* in the lower parts of the bars jj, said plate thereby serving as a catch to retain the frame J between the bars j j.

Io the lower end of the frame J a finger-bar, P, is attached at right angles. The finger-bar has two sickles, r r, attached to it, and placed one over the other. sickle work. over those of the, lower one, and the sickles move in opposite directions and operate similar to shears. The sickles i' r are operated by cranks s s, which are placed on shafts t tin the frame J, said cranks being placed in opposite positions relatively with each other and connected with the sickles r by rods r. 0n each shaft t a pinion, t', is placed, and these two pinions gear into a wheel', u, which serves to keep the two cranks s sin a proper relative position with each other, and on the lower end of each shaft a pinion, fv, is placed. When the frameJ is down and ttted between the barsjj the pinions e c of the shafts l gear into teethv w on the outer side of the wheel F. (See Figs. l and 3.)

I The operation is as follows: When the frame J is secured between the bars jj and the machine is drawn along, the teeth ot' wheel F gearing into the pinions o c of the shafts t t, the sickles r r are vibrated in reverse directions `In turning the machine, or at any time when the cutting operation is necessarily suspended as the machine moves, the driver from his seat in the body A, and with his foot, throws the catch c out of gear from the segment rack-bar b, and by the same means presses down the bar a, and consequently gives the drivingwheel F an inclined position and throws up the finger-bar and sickles, as shown in red,

Fig. 3. By this means the sickles are thrown above the grass or grain and are renderedalmost inoperative, so far as the cutting is concer-ned, although still vibrating with the movement of the wheel F. In case the nger-bar and sickles require to be considerably elevated in order to pass over large obstructions or lo pass between bar-posts or through gates, the driver grasps the lever L, which is within bis reach, and, drawing it toward him, elevates the finger-bar and sickles, as shown in black, Fig. 2, and the finger-bar and sickles'may be retained ,in such position by means of the spring M.

When the machine is not'in use, or when it is being drawn from place to place, the fingerbar and sickles are raised over and placed on the top of the body A, as shown in red, Fig.

2. These two latter adjustments of the iingerbar and sickles are permitted on account of the frame J, towhich the finger-bar I? is attached, being allowed to swing freely on the shaft K.

It will be recollected that the plate O was described as performing the function of a The teeth of the upper.

catch and retaining the frame J between the bars jj, and consequently the sickles in proper perform this oiice, force upward the frame J.

In order to adjust the sickles to cut the grass or grain at different heights, the circular frame Gr is adjusted so as to elevate the front ends of the sickles to the requisite height. This adjustment of the frame G is permitted on' account of the frame Gr being fitted loosely on the same arm as the wheel F. The frameG is secured at any desired point by means of the plate h of the lever I catching under either of the projections i.

From the above description it will be seen 'that the' sickle'is placed under the complete control of the driver. It may be elevated and depressed to pass over obstructions either large or small, or to pass through gates, and also adjusted to cut the grass or grain higher or lower, as desired, or be raised and placed on the body of the machine when the latter is being moved from place to place.

I do not claim broadly attaching the fingerbar to the machine by a hinge or joint or by a hinged frame irrespective of the arrangement,

of parts shown and their relation to each other; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Attaching the finger-bar P to the frame J, suspended on the shaft K and fitted between bars j j on frame Gr, and arranged on shaft H, substantially as shown, so that the finger-bar and sickles may, when necessary, be elevated and placed directly over the main Wheel and shaft, as described.

2. Adjusting the finger-bar P and sickles r 1' in a more or less inclined position, in order to cut the grass or 'grain the desired height,

by having the finger-bar attached to a circular frame, G, fitted on the armof the drivingwheel F, and secured at the desired point by means of the lever I and projections or any equivalent fastening.

3. The arrangement and combination o f the frames J G, applied to the driving-wheel F, in connection with the gearing fw, t t', u, and c fu, respectively, on the wheel F, shafts t t, and in the frame J, suhstantiallyas and for th purpose set forth.

H. H. LUTHER.

Witnesses ALFRED B. GARDNER, THOMAS I. GOFF. 

